Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure accountability for acts of violence by settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

We strongly condemn all violence against Palestinians by settlers. Reports of Palestinian civilians being murdered by settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are appalling. The Foreign Secretary raised this issue in a call with the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs on 17 November. Israel must take tangible steps to grip settler violence, and to hold those responsible accountable. The Prime Minister has also raised this with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Cohen, and we have also stressed the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. As the Prime Minister said, we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are also victims of Hamas. We continue to urge all sides not to take steps which would inflame tensions and move us away from the cause of peace.